PRATTVILLE – Kay Little did a double take as she walked out of the Autauga County Courthouse recently and saw a deputy sporting new duds.

"At first I thought it may by a State Trooper, but he got in a county patrol car," she said. "Then I found out they have new uniforms. It's going to take some getting used to, seeing them in the new clothes."

Gone are the traditional brown-striped pants and khaki shirts for deputies on patrol. Now they sport black pants with slate gray shirts. Supervisors, lieutenants and above, will keep their white shirts, but wear the black pants.

It's not the only thing that's new, the office has a new shoulder patch, with crossed American and Alabama state flags, and the image of the courthouse clock tower in the center. There's also a Purple Heart above the tower, a nod to Prattville being a Purple Heart community.

The old patch was larger with an outline of the county, a cotton bole on the upper left signifying the county's agricultural past. There was a blue line bisecting the patch for Autauga Creek, and an Indian head on the lower right, honoring the Native American heritage of the area. Prattville, the county seat, was distinguished by a gold star.

The new patch was designed by the officers, said Sheriff Joe Sedinger. The department gets new uniforms each year. Deputies on night shift also didn't like the khaki shirts, preferring the change to the darker color.

"The budget allows us to replace uniforms each year, due to the daily wear and tear," he said. "We felt that since we had to get new uniforms, it would be a good time to change them. I left it up to the men to pick the colors.

"Sheriff's offices have been getting away from the brown uniforms for the past several years. These new uniforms are made cotton, so hopefully they will hold up better than the polyester blends."

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